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Arizona Standards
Foreign Language Standards
(Adopted 4/27/98)
Foreign Language Standards: Rationale
Today's students prepare for the tomorrow in which they will
need to function in varied contexts. The constant shrinking of the globe will expand their
experience beyond that of previous generations to include contacts with other languages
and cultures, both in their private lives and in their work. Languages are increasingly
demanded in a wide range of professions. To succeed, students will need new tools, many of
which are available primarily, if not solely, through the study of other languages. They
include
- the ability to communicate well for varied purposes. In other
languages, as well as in English, effective communication requires an understanding of
both the target language and culture under study and one's own, which implies the ability
to interact confidently within many arenas, including the workplace and communities where
the language is spoken.
- a solid foundation in basic subject matter and skills. All
core subjects must contribute to this end, in an integrated fashion, to aid students in
realizing the connections among the parts of their education. Basic subject matter
includes the development of verbal, reasoning, and listening skills and knowledge of the
great achievements of human cultures-artistic, literary, scientific, etc. The study of
another language has been shown to enhance student performance in other academic fields.
Learning from other fields can also be reinforced in the foreign language classroom.
- an understanding and appreciation of the diversity of
languages and cultures, including one's own. These tools aid students to function as
responsible, informed, and confident citizens and enhance their personal development. They
allow the finding of one's own place in the wider world.
Introduction to the Foreign Language
Standards
The foreign language standards state what students need to
know about languages and cultures, including their own; what they need to be able to do;
and how this knowledge and these abilities relate to the subject matter of other core
areas. They state clearly and in measurable terms
- what students need to know in order to function successfully
as they enter a new millennium that promises major changes in communications and contacts
with other languages and cultures;
- what students need to be able to do. Knowing about a language
and its culture(s), while essential, is not sufficient; students will develop skills for
functioning effectively in varied contexts; and
- the integration of foreign languages into the rest of the
curriculum so that the connections are clear and so that learning in all areas is
facilitated, including the development of a deeper understanding of one's own language and
culture. The five strands under which the standards are organized-Communication, Culture,
Connections, Comparisons and Communities-are meant to be interwoven among themselves as
well, rather than taught as separate entities. Meeting the standards for each one will
contribute to reaching the standards of the others.
These standards for foreign language study are highly
challenging for all students. They assume an extended sequence of learning throughout the
students' school career, thus reflecting the likely nature of schools in the future.
Meeting these standards will require the study of grammar-the forms and structures of the
language-as well as effective learning strategies. Students will also need to use
technologies that will bring the language and the culture to them in new ways and enhance
their opportunities to learn.
In these standards we refer to "the target
language," which may stand for "world language," "foreign
language," "second language," or "heritage language" (i.e., the
language that is the predominant language in the home).
Descriptions of Language Abilities for Each
Level
READINESS
Students use basic vocabulary related to people, places,
things and actions close to their own lives. They express themselves in phrases, short
sentences and memorized material. Their language is characterized by an emerging control
of the most common basic grammatical forms and structures. Because comprehension of oral
and written language normally exceeds production, students are able to comprehend simple
descriptions, narratives, and authentic materials such as advertisements, on topics
studied in class. Pronunciation and fluency are such that students often might not be
understood by native speakers. They are able to write accurately what they can say.
FOUNDATIONS
Students speak and write extemporaneously using short
sentences and sentence strings in present tense on topics within their experience with the
language. They can describe, ask and answer questions; engage in simple conversations; and
carry out simple realistic functions such as ordering a meal, buying something, or
introducing themselves or others to a group. Since their knowledge of the forms and
structures of the language has grown rapidly but their practice has been limited, their
speech is likely to contain numerous linguistic errors. Students are comprehensible to
sympathetic listeners who have experience with non-native speakers of their language.
Their written language still mirrors their oral language, although they may be able to
express more ideas more accurately in writing, given time to reflect, review and revise.
ESSENTIALS
Students speak with somewhat longer utterances and begin to
display an ability to connect phrases and sentences to show relations between ideas
expressed. Although patterns of errors are still common, students now speak and write
extemporaneously in past, present and future time, using vocabulary related to their own
lives and interests. Accent and intonation are generally accurate, although pauses and
false starts may be common, as students give simple instructions and directions, make
comparisons, solve problems together, and engage in conversations on a range of topics
including leisure activities, professions and current events. In written work, students'
spelling and punctuation are mostly accurate; and they organize their ideas well.
PROFICIENCY
Students use paragraph-length connected discourse to narrate,
describe, and discuss ideas and opinions. On topics of interest to them and within their
experience, they show few patterns of linguistic errors, they are generally comprehensible
to native speakers of the language, and their vocabulary is sufficient to avoid awkward
pauses. They are able to circumvent linguistic gaps or lapses by "finding another way
to say it." Given time to reflect and revise, they are able to express their ideas
completely and interestingly in writing, with generally accurate grammar, vocabulary,
spelling, accents and punctuation. They comprehend most authentic expository and fictional
material produced for contemporary native speakers.
DISTINCTION
Students show almost no patterns of linguistic errors and are
able to carry out almost any task that they can execute in English, albeit with less
fluency and control or breadth of vocabulary and grammar. They can argue a point
effectively and extemporaneously, explaining their point of view in detail. In writing,
their ideas are well organized and clearly, completely, and interestingly presented, with
accurate use of the language's writing system. They can comprehend any non-technical
material produced for the general public of native speakers in the standard language.
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